Educational appliance and making the same



Sept. 9, 1930. H. H. ROOT EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE AND MAKING THE SA II Filed lay 12, 1928 gum do; M

Patented Sept. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES 'rET OFFICE HUBER H. ROOT, E MEDINA, OHIO, AssIsNoR ro'rnE A. I. ROOT COMPANY, OF MEDINA,

' OHIO, A CORPORATION N Application filed May 12,

The object of my invention is to make letters and numerals, that is to say, characters that may be used for the education of children to whom they will appeal as toys. By

my invention the letters, type or other characters or shapes may be made at a very low cost especially when, as I prefer, they are made of wood, and yet of light Weight, and

they may be made of substantial size so that children may readily handle them as playthings and be attractive to children.

My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.

I shall describe my invention with reference to making letters and numerals of wood, and particularly the letters and other characters, such as B D 8, etc., that may be termed closed characters, and by reason of their form or contour, present especial difiiculties.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of several letters made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View illustrating the form of blank used in the production of such characters, as the letter B for example,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the m completed blank referred to in the brief description of Fig. 2.

Briefly described, and referring to the production of wooden letters Or characters, illustrated, my invention contemplates the formation, as in a wood molding machine, of strips of wood of as great length as may be possible or desirable with grooves or channels where necessary so that the resulting strip Or molding has in cross section the contour of part of the letter or character, and

then the strip is cut by cross cuts to produce the letters or characters. In the case of those letters which may be referred to as open letters or characters, such as letter H for example, a simple strip of wood may be used which being grooved at top and bottom by passing through a molding machine will result in a blank having the cross section of the letter with all parts or members of the letter to in one piece or integral. In the case of letters 1928. Serial No. 277,131.

or, characters which may be termed closed, that s to. say such letters for example as B, which preclude an integral or one-plece construction,- a molding, 10, may be formed of a single strip such as that shown in Fig. 2

of the drawing which has two parallel grooves or channels, the cross section being the same as that which may be used in' producingthe numeral 3, and a second flat strip,1l, such aswould serve to make the numeral 1 or the letter I is provided and the two glued together to produce the built-up blank, 12, shown in Fig. 3 which is then sawed or cut into cross sections to result in the desired letter or character.

The'characters, when made of wood, are cut cross grain, which enhances their appearance, and is instructive as to the formation andgrowth and physical properties of wood.

The character after being formed are smoothed and polished, as by a tumbling machine.

What I claim is:

1. An educational appliance comprising a character such as an alphabetical letter formed Of two members joined together side by side, and enclosing a space on all sides, said members being Of wood in cross-section showing the cross grain of the wood on the reading surface ofthe character.

2. The method of producing shapes or forms such as alphabetical letters; having a desired contour which consists in making a plurality of strips which placed side by side have a cross section corresponding to the desired contour certain of such strips being straight in cross section and an associated strip being curved-linear in cross section, the two strips when secured together enclosing a space on all sides, securing such strips together, and then cutting the resulting blank transversely at intervals of its length.

3. The method of producing shapes or forms such as alphabetical letters having a desired contour which consists in lon itudinally grooving or channeling a strip 0 wood and thereby giving it a cross section corresponding to the desired form, attaching a strip straight in cross section to the open side of the groove of the grooved strip, thereby enclosing a space on all sides; and then cutting the composite strips crosswise at intervals along the length thereof.

4. An educational appliance comprising a character such as an alphabetical letter formed of two members joined together side by side, and enclosing a space on all sides, said members being of Wood in cross-section showing the cross grain of the wood on the reading surface of the character, the reading surface being polished.

5. The method of producing shapes or forms having a desired contour such as alphabetical characters which consists in longitudinally grooving or channeling a strip of wood and thereby giving it a cross section corresponding to the desired form and then cutting the strip crosswise at intervals along its length and exposing the cross grain as the external, visible surface of the product, and then dressing the surface of the form thus produced.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HUBER H. ROOT. 

